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  • History podcasts that don’t have a whiney American presenter….?
  • alpin
    Free Member

    I can’t be doing with German commercial radio. Today’s Women’s Hour was just weird (lesbians arguing about who is more lesbian).

    Found some history podcasts but they were all presented by some whiney, overly excited septic.

    Is there anything out there that you’d recommend?

    Have found Dan Snow in the past but he seems fixed on war. Looking for culture, society type stuff.

    Cheers in advance!

    mulacs
    Full Member

    anything by Neil MacGregor should fit the bill. Fascinating stuff – the history of Germany might tick a few boxes for you? 

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00nrtd2/episodes/downloads

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04dwbwz/episodes/downloads

    SaxonRider
    Full Member

    Why not ‘In Our Time’ with Melvyn Bragg? So many of the topics discussed are historically oriented – even when, ostensibly, they’re not.

    Mind you, I’ll be interested in hearing about alternatives as well, so will watch the thread with interest.

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    matt_outandabout
    Full Member

    I’m pulling up a chair too

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    I think History Hit with Dan Snow – mentioned above – is occasionally brilliant. He does sometimes feature Americans and American history, but it’s listenable, wide ranging and generally entertaining. I wouldn’t say he’s overly focussed on wars, though he did – maybe understandably – recently run a bunch of stuff about WWI.

    Recent ones include Winston Churchill’s art, a Victorian murder, and stuff about malt whisky and the Whitechapel Bell Foundry and something about our historical relationship with Europe along with the war-orientated ones. It’s frequent too, so you can miss out the ones you’re not grabbed by and a new one’ll be along in a minute.

    alpin
    Free Member

    Cheers guys….

    I should have said that I like In Our Time and I think I may have listened to just about every episode, even the obscure ones about Greek mythology.

    Neil Macgregor is the 100 Objects guy, right?  Listened to all his BBC stuff. Very good.

    BadlyWiredDog
    Full Member

    It’s also worth occasionally wandering through the BBC Radio iPlayer stuff.

    alpin
    Free Member

    yup, i often do….  quite like the Invention Of…. series about the origin of countries.

    submarined
    Free Member

    Maybe not exactly what you’re after, but if you want 15 minute or so snippets of fascinating stories, The Memory Palace is a wonderful, wonderful thing.

    Ewan
    Free Member

    Hardcore history is amazing. Start with the WW1 series. Less a podcast, more a work of art.

    TrailriderJim
    Free Member

    BBC History magazine is good and there’s a history-specific version of In Our Time.

    MaryHinge
    Free Member

    I’ve listened to a few Revisionist History podcasts. Malcolm Gladwell is a merkin but I don’t find him whiney.

    i found the paralysis, pelvis one captivating even though I’m not a big Levi’s or music fan.

    I’ll look up some of those suggestions too.

    outofbreath
    Free Member

    All of the above plus “History By Hollywood” and best of all IMHO “the history of England” by David Crowther.

    andytheadequate
    Free Member

    My favourite history podcast is 1914: Day by Day (https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b03t8m6h/episodes/downloads).

    This series is genuinely brilliant and is about the run up to World War 1. I know you said you didn’t want to just listen to military history, but this also covers the diplomatic build up to WW1, as well as a bit of domestic history too.

    Each episode is really short as it covers a day. When I listened to it I found somewhere that grouped the days into weeks so I wasn’t having to download a million files.

    arrpee
    Free Member

    Tides of History with Patrick Wyman (American, but non-whiney).

    Thus far, mostly focussed on late antiquity/early modern. Also enjoyed his Fall of Rome series.

    Good recent episodes on the Black Death and the Hundred Years War.

    outofbreath
    Free Member

    Thanks arrpee, new one for me. Will give it a whirl.

    eskay
    Full Member

    Bookmarked

    JackHammer
    Full Member

    Anything from Dan Carlin is good. So Hardcore History, the addendum, common sense.

    I started listening to the the Martyrmade podcast, and I’m slowly working through the first episode. Could be good, could be left at the way-side.

    I tried Dan Snow’s History Hit and it was a bit meh to me. I liked the one about Peter Jackson’s WW1 movie/remaster tried a few others and they weren’t very interesting.

    I’ve started watching a guy on youtube called TIK, he does some really good blow by blow accounts of lesser known battles of WW2.

    uphillcursing
    Free Member

    tick

    outofbreath
    Free Member

    Tides of History with Patrick Wyman (American, but non-whiney).

    Thanks for the tip, have listened to 3 or 4 since yesterday, really good, I’m addicted. (Although his voice is slightly Whiney IMHO so maybe not so good for the OP!)

    I’ve started watching a guy on youtube called TIK,

    Thanks for the tip. He doesn’t make a brilliant first impression (IMHO), but worth sticking with it because he’s brilliant. (I listened to the oil one, and one of the question and answers.) Will be working my way through the rest of his content for sure.

    So thanks both, two welcome tips.

    JackHammer
    Full Member

    What about his first impression put you off? I’ve only been watching the videos regarding the North Africa campaign, so I might be a bit blinkered. I find his opinions on people not bothering with degrees etc. a bit triggering, but so far have managed not to get wound up enough to reply.

    outofbreath
    Free Member

    What about his first impression put you off?

    Initially (to me) he came across as a bit of a hobbyist who was going to spout off facile views he’d got off the history channel in his lounge. Once I listened to a bit it was clear he’s done plenty of reading [1] and was quite capable of articulating his well informed thoughts very well. People might not agree with everything he says but he certainly puts across a thought provoking case.

    (My knowledge of History/WW2 is pretty limited so people should take my opinion with a pinch of salt, but that’s what I think!)

    [1] I’m not suggesting he’s a Kershaw or Beevor working from primary sources but at my level of interest that’s fine.

    immaterial
    Free Member

    Can I recommend LindyBeige on YouTube? A bit warry, but very well informed, especially about things involving Romans, Vikings and knights.

    outofbreath
    Free Member

    Ta, will give him a try. Thanks to this thread I’m suffering from content overload.

    alpin
    Free Member

    Found this the other day….

    Alone in the workshop today and now a few episodes in. American, but not whiney. Interesting, too.

    https://www.google.com/podcasts?feed=aHR0cDovL2hpc3RvcnlvZmVuZ2xpc2hwb2RjYXN0LmNvbS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Qv&episode=aHR0cDovL2hpc3RvcnlvZmVuZ2xpc2hwb2RjYXN0LmNvbS8_cD0yNTc

    seadog101
    Full Member

    Another +1 for Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History.
    He is American, but not whiney at all. Full of detail, pulls apart the topics massively. Give yourself A LOT of time…

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